Just One Drink
by Ayuki
Summary: Ch 3 up. Nara Shikamaru is just lazing outside the nearest bar during the New Year festival when he comes across a rather unusual encounter with his team mate, Yamanaka Ino. And maybe a bit of trouble too. ShikaIno.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **This story is meant for Japanese New Year (despite the fact it's a little late), Oshogatsu. This specific fiction takes place in between the three year change.

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**Chapter 1**

_Nara Shikamaru's Point of View and Story_

Igh. It's Oshogatsu. Damn. Now everyone will be parading outside stuffing their mouths with food and doing festive things. What's even worse is that it lasts for almost a week. Whoopdedoo. So it's a new year. Meh. Then a bunch of adults come up to you and give you money and wish you good luck. I think I'm a little too old for that. I really don't believe in all that superstition. Well, it is a part of my culture, but I just don't feel like getting up to celebrate what is just another day in the year to me. That's kind of a bad thing to say but I just want to play Shougi. Or lie down somewhere and just watch the clouds. But the clouds are all hindered by the stupid festivities hanging everywhere. A waste of paper, if you ask me, along with all the post cards my mom is coaxing me to send. I'm just honestly too tired to pick up a pencil and write. And on Oshogatsu, it's all noisy outside, so lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling, or trying to sleep becomes bothersome. But then I have to go anyway since I have to watch out for people's safety. The food is pretty good but I'm not much of an eater. I'll just sit around somewhere, doing nothing… well, might as well go now. It's not like I can see the clouds very well at night. I'm going to get dragged anyway. My mother thinks its time I got of my lazy behind to "mingle" with people. She doesn't want her son to end up dying single. I should save the trouble of my mom yelling at me and giving me an earful. Not to mention Tsunade and her constant nagging. She nagged at me this morning to go to the night festival just to look out for all of the citizens of Konoha's safety. I knew it was needed. I just didn't feel like doing it. Akatsuki sucks I swear. They keep making me have to get up and do stuff. First I had to go fetch Sasuke and get my index finger broken while dealing with that annoying flute girl, my entire platoon wrapped entirely in bandages, and now this. Ugh. I don't get these people who crave world domination and excessive power. Oh well. It's almost night time. I'd better go before my mother comes out to yell at me to leave.

"Find your father while you're at it!" she yells at me, while washing the dishes, preparing for the festival.

"Fine," I grumble back.

The festival was like any other boring one to me. The people who are enjoying the festival obviously don't take the time to ponder how much it takes to get ready for these things, and the people who prepared for it obviously wasted some energy just to impress. People chowing on food here. Chattering over there. Kids running around playing games and screaming as if no one will hear. I had to sit at my post and just be on the look out. Kind of a crummy job if you ask me. But I'm trying not to doze off since the people who sleep on the job are usually the cause of calamities. So I'd better stay awake. I got really agitated having to stand so I sat against the wooden post I was asked to stay by. Somehow, I should make use of this troublesome time. I pulled a kunai out of my side holster. I just played some lousy little game of checking how strong my two fingers were physically able to let it dwindle between, as it would come useful to me whenever I'm combat. If I ever go, that is. Well, I am going off nowadays since I am obligated to. I flipped the kunai with my two fingers into the air and let it spiral.

"Shikamaru!" someone yelled into my ear.

"Huh!"

The kunai went directly into the middle of my two knuckles, the index and middle finger. It was not deep. And it would have really sucked if it went through the back of my hand. But it stung like hell. Some blood came out, but no big deal. I squinted a little bit. All ninjas should be used to pain. But it's annoying. I pulled it out. It turns out Ino distracted me. And she was wearing a lavender kimono. Her figure captured my attention, but I'm not the type to gawk at females. They always scream, plus it's not really sincere to do that in the first place. I don't want a slap across the head either.

"Shikamaru, why are you hurting yourself?" she asks me.

I looked up at her with a frown as she was the direct cause of why there was this annoying pain in my right hand, but she wasn't at fault.

"I didn't, it was an accident," I muttered quietly.

"Yes, I'm sure it was," she said with a touch of sarcasm. She pulled something out of her sleeve.

"Here's a ribbon I have. It's not a bandage but you should make use of it," she said, shoving the mauve ribbon into my face. She looked away and looked into the luminary distance. She must have been thinking of Sasuke. Honestly, why does Sasuke attract every female? There's obviously none left for the rest of us guys since the females are all flocking around him. He doesn't like any of them, but when will the girls look elsewhere? They're awfully persistent to pursue someone who hasn't even batted an eyelash at them for the last several many years. The blood was flowing a bit so I wrapped Ino's ribbon around my hand.

Ino walked away from me. She looked around. There wasn't much to do. Only her parents wished her luck and gave her some money. Feh. Big deal. She got money all the time running the flower shop for her parents, I see her receiving money. I could tell she missed Sasuke and there wasn't anything she could do to get him back. She used to whine to me about him, saying she didn't even know where the heck he was anymore. The news of him betraying Leaf was very shocking to her. She knew he was quite aloof and introverted. Not even nice at that. But she didn't think he would turn his back on his own country.

"Sasuke-kun…" she looked like she was thinking, quite like her former best friend, Haruno Sakura.

There was a beverage vendor several feet away from her. There were two people waiting in the side for their drink to be served. She walked up behind the two customers.

"May I have some juice, please?" I heard her ask loudly to the vendor.

"Yeah, sure," the vendor said and handed a can to her. Ino gave the change, drank a bit of her beverage and walked off.

When will this stupid festival be over? I don't want to be sitting here looking lazy, as I already am as it is. I sat there, thinking of strategies for a good ten minutes. Just then Ino tripped over me. She didn't get up.

"Ino!" I said.

She didn't even budge.

"Ino!" I said again.

This time she only groaned while lying sideways on the ground.

"Are you okay?" I asked again.

A can fell out of her right hand. I picked it up and sniffed it. It smelled like orange soda, and it was in a typical large container. I smelled it again. It had the touches of alcohol. It wasn't sake because no one would mix soda and alcohol. I recognize the stench of sake anyway; my dad drinks a lot with his buddies when I have to go fetch him. Ino's too young to be drinking anything of that sort. Heck, even I can't drink yet. I couldn't just leave her lying on the ground. Especially on a night like this. I picked her up and put her on my back. It was my duty as a Chuunin to look out for the wellbeing of others. I could smell her breath from behind me. I looked at the can again. "What kind of sick street vendor would give a young girl some alcohol? And how did she get this?" I thought.

"God, you have the lowest toleration in the world," I mumbled to her while her hair was all over the back of my neck. I put the can in my pocket; it was bulging and kept slipping out; I occasionally had to push it back in.

It was hard to distinguish which side vendor gave her the drink since every single one of them sold drinks, and the majority of them were similar. I should have paid attention to where Ino bought this from. The vendor possibly could not be intoxicated since that's very bad for business fronts.

"This girl is beginning to get heavy," I thought. I looked for her parents, as they most likely would have done the floral arrangements for this festival, but I found them at a dining table; they turned out to be drunk also.

"Inoshi," I said, with Ino on still on my back as I approached him, trying to give a small bow but it was hard to not fall to the floor with Ino on my back.

"Oh, look! It's my lovely daughter! When did you dye your hair black?" Inoshi slurred with a glass of sake in his hand while touching my face with his food-crusted fingers. I don't think he even saw Ino on my back at all.

"Ugh, forget it," I said walking back outside, slightly slumped over.

"Blargh, why does everyone have to be drunk tonight?" I thought.

What luck. The one day I need something and all the adults are tipsy. Okay, that was an exaggeration, but the ones I need to contact. I might as well drag her home. I went, but when I got to her house, it was all locked up. I couldn't just dump her on the porch and leave her to sleep on the cold ground all night. Where am I supposed to take this girl? She's really getting weighty. Geez, I hate this holiday. Everyone's not available when you really need something. Naruto and the others were at some table, eating and just having a good time. I mean, it is a time to celebrate. Sooner or later I would get yelled at by Tsunade for not staying at my post like I was told to, so I walked back there. It was getting heavy to carry her, so I set her on the ground carefully so she wouldn't bang against some foreign objects lying around.

"This girl… what has she been doing?" I thought, while looking around carefully. Nothing seemed to be wrong. Well I could be totally wrong about that for all I know. I mean, Leaf is the most powerful ninja country. Someone was bound to get us sooner or later. Ino is definitely not this stupid as to drink something that isn't good for her health. Wouldn't she have noticed the taste the first time around? I don't know women. Always yelling or competing with their friends, crying, giggling, or whatever have you. I'm pretty sure she would/ have asked for water initially. This is kind of idiotic. I don't want to put her on the spot on this, but this has got to be one of the stupidest things she's done. Obviously, sake does not taste like regular drinks or water that's lying around the house, and yet she drinks this entire thing? I don't know. I don't think I want to know. Ino is one of the kunoichi that I feel to be dynamic. I think she has progressed along the way to the untypical. Ugh, this night is passing awfully slowly. Oshogatsu is a time to celebrate, right? I just don't feel in the mood to. Maybe some random person will be walking around with a Shougi board or something? Highly unlikely. Anyway, back to Ino. I don't get why she consumed this stuff. She's not a two year old child, ingesting everything they see. She rolled over. Now she was on me. Great. I sat there on the ground as her head was on my thigh. What was I supposed to do? I could just push her head off and let her drool away. I sighed. Well I guess I'll just let her sit there. I'll look around, do my duty. She rolled around again. She moves an awful lot. Do I have to hold onto her so she won't roll her face into a wooden post? I propped her to sit up but she just fell down on the ground, snoring away. I stood up and asked for a glass of water from one of the vendors. Then I splashed it all over her.

She woke up. I stared at her.

"AHH! What did you do to me?" she shrieked, wiping the water off her face with her sleeves.

"I didn't do anything. You're the one who did something stupid."

"What? I did not!"

"What's this look like?" I asked, pulling the can out of my pocket and holding it in the air.

"A can."

"Yes, very good!" I replied in a crass manner as I threw the damn cup that intoxicated her behind my shoulder. I was about to scold her but then she had a tinge of green on her face. I didn't know whether or not she was going to vomit or scream at me. At this point I took two steps back and I was right, she vomited. Mixture of her dinner and bile lying on the ground in a puddle. It was disgusting. I was lucky it did not touch my shoes, or else it would have touched my toes.

"I think I'd better take you home," I told Ino. She didn't respond back. She was just holding her forehead like she was really feeling ill.

"Can you please?" she said meekly as she tilted down a second time. I caught her similar to when she did her technique, Shintenshin no Jutsu. That was the first time I'd ever heard her say "please."

Obviously she wasn't thinking clearly. She would have hit me by now or stormed off. She would have pounded me the minute I threw water all over her hair. I wondered if Tsunade would be walking by anytime soon to yell at me for leaving my post and that security must be high. I didn't see her anywhere. She must've been gambling or something, I don't care. I picked up Ino and put her on my back for the second time and carried her home. I finally made it there with my aching back and Ino drooling all over my Chuunin vest.

"Hey wake up," I said. I moved my shoulders up and down to try to wake her up.

"Wha—?" she said, half-asleep.

"Do you have the keys to your house?"

"No, I don't," she murmured.

"Where's your dad then? Ask him for the keys."

Ino was sleeping again.

"My god, you are difficult," I grumbled, walking back to my post for the third time and setting her gently on the ground while I sat next to her, looking up at the night sky.

She rolled around like she was a child using a bed for a first time. I sat down on my bottom on the post I was supposed to be at. Ino was a few feet away. According to her, it wouldn't be gentlemen-like to just leave her so I suppose I had to watch her roll around in her own filth. I'm pretty lazy, and I know that but when duty calls, I've got to do my job. And my job for now is to watch Ino and the safety of Konoha.

I began to contemplate, since I very well had nothing else better to do. First off, I looked for the can. I stood up and walked to where I threw it. It apparently landed in the bushes. I grabbed it and sat down next to the lying-on-the-ground Ino. I looked into it. I examined it thoroughly. I took out a kunai and mutilated it completely. There I saw a few small little dregs on the bottom. The can said on it, "orange carbonated soda." Then I picked up one of the little particles lying on the very bottom. I stared at it. I stared at it some more. Since when does orange soda contain parts of hallucinogen toxins? Who in the hell is trying to poison Ino, my team mate? Right after that, a needle was thrown right at the corner of my eye.

"What the hell—!" I gasped with my neck turned, barely missing the needle.

I grabbed the sleeping Ino and looked around. It was time for me to fulfill my duties like Tsunade wanted. Protect Konoha and the civilians.

**End Chapter 1.  
Onto Chapter 2.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Okay… so now I'm stuck in a tree. On a branch one-hundred times thicker than me. And worse off, with Ino. I don't understand girls. I am now forced to carry her everywhere with me. God, my back hurts, and I'm tired and hungry. I want to go home and take a nap. Instead I'm here strategizing. And my hands in their usual bowl position… heh. Okay, prior to being stuck in this tree I ran off with Ino on my back into the forest so that no one in the village would be in danger and whoever it was who threw the needle almost into me followed me. At least no one in the village got hurt. I followed the direction of where the needle came from. I don't even think anyone knows there are intruders in the village and I'm just here, in the outskirts of Konoha by myself. Well not by myself but with Ino. I can see Konoha from here. The lights. So it means everyone is still partying while I'm out here covered in scratches and cuts watching a kunoichi who can't even help me at all. I'm just doing what Tsunade wants. Stupid female hokage. Now I'm watching Ino roll around and I have to hold onto her to make sure she doesn't roll off this tree and hurt herself then blame me for purposely letting her crash on the ground. Not to mention that I'll give away my position then those two creeps will come after me. They're not even a three-man cell and yet they still come after me. I'm just a regular ninja, what the hell do they want with me?

At first I thought they were just annoying little kids just poking fun but it turns out they're serious. I don't know their intent at all. Technically, I would have tried to think of a strategy or something but that guy just all of a sudden had blood coming out of himself and it came at me trying to asphyxiate my neck. The girl accompanying him kept throwing exploding tags at me as if it were the only thing she knew how to do. Having blood that's alive and coming to kill you made me freak out enough to not be able to think of a good plan. If only Ino were awake then I could have done something. And maybe if our cell was complete with Chouji here I don't think I'd have that much of a problem. I was on my own at the time. I noticed the boy's bloodline limit was that creepy blood and it was not capable of climbing surfaces so I had to climb up a tree or some sort of high surface. He seemed to be able to manipulate his own blood with Chakra. Creepy. It was kind of hard with Ino on my back but I managed to scamper up a branch. I took it that although the girl had no special talents at all except throwing tags that she was meant only to get the target down on the ground for the creepy blood guy. I wasted all my Chakra trying to get the exploding-tag girl with my shadow so I could control her for a slip second and throw an exploding tag at the blood guy. I wasted fifteen of them but that was okay since I would disarm her and she would be useless for creepy blood guy. I managed to hit the blood guy finally and then cancelled my attack and ran off with Ino. I ran like usual when I couldn't think of anything else or if I ran out of chakra for any other possible moves. I heard the creepy blood guy yelling at the girl for being obsolete and she yelled back at him. Apparently his name is Akakawa Jin. I don't know the girl's name, but what does it matter?

As far as any other possible moves I could think of, hiding for now would be safest. I knew there was a chance that the creepy blood guy would climb up but I'm tired like hell. If there wasn't Ino on my back I'd be able to run off and go back to Konoha and get some back-up. Now I'm getting fed up. While I'm all injured up I'm cradling a girl my age that is perfectly capable of fending for herself.

"Wake up!" I whispered loudly into Ino's ear.

Ino finally slowly opened her eyelids. She looked up at me with a look of surprise.

"What are you doing holding me!" she asked, immediately standing up, exasperated. She was so exasperated I had to catch her before she fell off the tree branch. Unfortunately I fell with her. She screamed as we crashed to the ground and I landed on top of Ino.

"Oh shit," I thought. "Now I'm gonna get it…" I rolled off her and pulled her up. I hope I didn't break her back. And of course, I got the tongue-lashing of my life from her.

"What the hell is the matter with you? You just let me fall down and you let your heavy self squish me! And why did you take me out of Konoha? It's Oshogatsu you moron! We should be celebrating!"

She just kept going on and on with yelling and complaining. And I thought I complained too much.

"Geez, shut up! You don't even know the situation!"

Her temper FINALLY disappeared.

"Now that we're back on the ground you'll have to stay behind me!"

"Why?"

"Just protect yourself!"

There was a rustle behind the bushes.

I hid behind yet another tree and Ino cowering behind me. She looked like she felt the aftereffects of drinking whatever hallucinogen was in that can she drank. I think that can has to do with that those guys also. And it points toward that they want Ino. Why in the world would they want Ino? She and I have inherited bloodline limits no one cares about. Sasuke or Neji I'd understand… but Ino? I don't know exactly what's going on except that I should protect Ino. Ino and I peered from behind the large tree trunk.

And there was Akakawa Jin looking like the terminator about to kill us. Ino freaked out and stayed frozen. I took her hand and ran.

"Where are we going?" Ino asked while holding her head.

"I don't know but can you think of any brilliant plans?" I talked back in a tired manner and running at the same time.

"No! That's supposed to be your job!" she yelled back vigorously.

I stopped running. Ino did likewise.

"Well apparently we're going to have to strategize differently if you wanna get out of here! Chouji's not here to help us so we're going to just have to deal with it!" I paused while Ino was against a tree with me in front of her. "Look, all we have is my Kage Mane no Jutsu and my other shadow techniques and your Shintenshin no Jutsu. So I'll think of something. You just do what I say. I don't know these weird guys. We'll find about it later. This is troublesome as it is. I was supposed to just sit around and do nothing watching the village and now I get myself into this. With you. Now if you don't mind, that blood guy is catching up to us. Now let's go!"

We ran some more. This was completely useless. This was just like the Chuunin Exam second test. Running around mindlessly.

"Okay I think I thought of something,"

"What?" Ino asked, out of breath. "I don't even know why I'm running around with you. You know, I could just walk back to Konoha."

"No! Ino you can't."

"Why not?"

"Ugh, I didn't want to tell you but I think the people we're running from seem to be after you."

"Me? Why me?"

"I don't know yet. But that guy is strong. He nearly choked me to death. If you didn't drink that can of stupid juice we would have been in this predicament. Man, I'm tired."

"You're blaming me for something as petty as drinking liquid? And you call yourself smart. Oh gee, if you're so tired, why don't you just lie down here and let those guys kill you?" Ino scoffed.

"Okay, we're going to have to stop hiding and just face these morons okay? Since you're their main target, you'll have to stay behind me and just follow my lead."

"Why should I follow you?"

"I'm a chuunin. You're not."

"Err… fine…"

I took a few steps back with Ino doing the same. All of a sudden something exploded behind us. It was an exploding tag. Damn, I thought I wasted all of that girl's stupid weapons.

"Oh shit!" I yelled.

Ino immediately yelped and jumped behind me as if I were a human shield. It was the duo again.

"God, what the hell do you want?" I asked.

"The girl," Jin replied as he made a seal and a big fat lake of blood came dripping out of his pants.

"Is that guy on his period?" Ino whispered to me.

I couldn't help but smirk at Ino giving a joke at the most innapropriate time ever. "No stupid, it's his bloodline limit. You should watch out for it."

The blood came lunging at me like some red blob. I didn't think I'd have enough to time reach him with my shadow. At least it was night and I'd be able to stretch my shadow wherever I felt.

_Kage Mane no Jutsu!_

And I caught that Jin guy. The blob goop was barely three inches in front of my face ready to come strangle my neck or suffocate me to death. I was lucky. I wiped the sweat from my brow and Jin did the same.

"I think you can figure what to do here, Ino" I yelled back at her.

_Shintenshin no Jutsu!_

I could not take care of Ino's body so I will be expecting her to shout at me when she returns to her body for letting her body lay immobile on the ground. I just stepped sideways and motioned my head to let that Jin guy bang his head against a tree trunk repeatedly.

"Ino what are you waiting for!" I grunted back, my muscles getting tired of having to do the same motion over and over.

She wasn't doing anything in the girl's body. Then she FINALLY came up with an idea. She took several exploding tag and put them all over herself, cancelled her technique and returned to her own body. I cancelled the shadow bind and ran off with Ino. I think we'd better get back to the village and report this. We ran for our lives. There were huge explosions behind us. I didn't stop until we finally reached the outer gates of Konoha. I held Ino as if she were my life.

"I think we're safe now," I said, panting.

We walked back in looking as if nothing happened. Now Ino was limping. After all, she was running around in a kimono. And I was covered in scratches and a few cuts here and there.

"Shikamaru… I…" Ino stuttered.

"You what? You have to get to the hospital and get yourself checked. Tell Tsunade I'm tired and going to bed."

"Well, just a thanks is what I wanted to say. I think we'd better get to the hospital."

"No I'm fine. I think you'd better go. You're the one who drank that stuff. I'm off."

"Can you take me? I feel really dizzy."

"Fine," I grumbled. I guess going to bed would have to wait. She tripped a few times on the way and I had to catch her. Finally, the hospital appeared.

I waited for Ino to get some medication. The people who were actually available took a look at her. It was worse than I thought. Those creeps put poison in her drink, not hallucinogens. I wonder how they managed to do that without anyone seeing. Or how they even got inside Konoha in the first place. All I could figure out was that they were from the Rain Country, as I could remember, looking at their headbands earlier. And the guy's name. Akakawa Jin. Well, I wouldn't really make a big deal about it since it's nothing major but there is harm going towards my teammate.

So now I have to protect her. All the time. Every fricken moment.

I sighed. This night sucked. Fighting for no reason. Running away. Well, it wasn't so bad. I am the master of running away anyway. Though I should report about the intrusion as soon as possible.

"You can see her now," the nurse told me.

I walked in. I was scared. Mostly because I let my team mate be in danger and I did yell at her and kind of mocked her. Ino really isn't that bad. Then I opened the door. I saw her with solution hooked up to her arm.

"She'll be okay but the poison she ingested made her severely weak. She can go home in the morning. Are you the boyfriend? Because I have to have an adult take care of her, not a minor."

I think I turned red but I reassured myself I wasn't and there was no mirror anyway. "No I am not the boyfriend. I'm just a part of her team."

I whispered a faint 'sorry' to her and curled up on the bench. I was tired. This was all too troublesome.

**End Chapter 2.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Ino was discharged in the morning. Her parents took her home. I watched her from afar walking with her parents, her hand on her arm where the needle was stuck in. She didn't look particularly happy. Someone crept up behind me.

"I have a new assignment for you," a woman whispered. It was Tsunade.

I nearly fell backwards.

"Ahh!" I said throatily. I fell on my butt and there is no fat there for me to retaliate on. "What?"

"Your new assignment is to watch Ino. You were sleeping like a sloth in the corner last night so she was the one who reported the incident to me. Report immediately if anything weird happens. Since you didn't even complete the job I gave you last night, you can't refuse this one. Besides the town is in shambles. This is the only thing I'm asking of you."

"Blar, fine," I grumbled.

"And stop hiding around corners, it makes you look like a creepy prowler," she said. She turned around sharply and almost whacked my face with her gigantic chest. I was stunned for a moment. "Gross!" I thought and walked off with my hands in my pocket.

Hooray. Out of all assignments, I have to follow a girl around. I could only imagine what I would have to do. Watch her paint her nails, cut flowers, complain about being too fat. Joy. I can always find something to complain about. I may be the master of running away but I am also the master of complaining too. But it's not so bad… at least I'm not babysitting a child. And it's Ino. I know how she is.

So here I am, in front of Ino's house. I haven't been here in a long while. Our dads are close friends anyway. I was about to knock on the door when the door slid open by itself.

"About time you got here!" Ino said sharply. My ears hurt from her screeching.

I sat by the table and watched her. I don't get why she's so cranky. She looked different because she had these weird tubes in her hair, like those things my mom would wear to make her hair curly. After an eternity of waiting in the kitchen for her to get ready, she dragged me with her to the flower shop. I felt like I was in the Yamanaka Ino showcase.

I sat with her watching her. A snip here, a snip there. She sat there arranging flowers for customers.

God, I was bored out of my life.

"Might as well make yourself useful. You keep lying around on the benches. Can you pick up the leftover stems?" she asked me.

It was a chore to get up. I did it anyway and chucked all the stems in the garbage.

There were petals all over the ground. What a waste of flowers. She put all the flowers in vases and sat by the cash register. Now she was doing nothing.

"Don't you get tired of this job?" I asked

"You just don't appreciate flowers, Shikamaru, that's why you can't understand this."

"Since when is there anything to understand about flowers?"

Ino didn't answer me. It was okay. I just outstretched myself on the floor. Ino scoffed.

"Is that all you know how to do?" she asked me, putting vases on the shelf with petals falling all over my face. I wiped the petals off my face. They felt annoying and made me sneeze.

"Yes, this is all I know how to do. You know, you should try to be a little more careful," replying back to her sourly.

Ino didn't say anything and kept pampering the flowers.

"I risk my ass to go save you after you _retardedly_ drank a whole can laced with intoxicators."

She remained still and picked up a vase of lilies and put them in front of the window. I knew she heard me. She was refusing to hear it. I could see her twitching.

"Listen, Ino, you don't just drink whatever hasn't been poured in your face. It's common sense. I was watching you that night. And those people from the Rain Country, I don't know who the hell they are, but now, I have to protect you."

Ino put her hand down from the glass vase. She just looked at me, her hair strands brushing along her cheeks. She still wasn't answering.

"I'm telling you now and you'd better listen. There are creeps out there. Be careful. I'm, not your babysitter. I'm just here 'cos Tsunade made me. Just… just watch yourself."

"If you don't want to be here then just go," she said softly, pulling more glass vases out of the cabinets. I think I just pissed her off. "Go play your stupid Shougi games. You're already an old man like Asuma-sensei said." She took the blue jar and pulled out a bushel of more flowers.

I was tempted to leave but if I did, I'd probably get slapped on the head with newspaper by Tsunade. Besides, I'm at Chuunin rank. I know my duties even if they are troublesome. And I know not to abandon someone just because I feel tired. So I sat down on the bench with one leg up staring at the ceiling. I don't remember falling asleep, but it must have been an hour or so. By that time, Ino looked like she was ready to leave, carrying an arranged flower vase with her. I slid off the bench. My eyelids were so heavy… I wanted to go back to sleep. But I trudged after her.

"Where are you going?" I garbled, wiping the drool off my mouth.

"What's it to you? And wipe your mouth. You look like a dog," she replied, locking the door to the flower shop and holding her vase full of arranged flowers. She must have spent a long time doing it. It even caught my attention. And I don't even like flowers.

"Are you going to an ikebana contest?"

"Oh gee, you're so smart... yes," she said crassly.

I sighed and just followed her until we reached Konoha gates. I grabbed her by the shoulder but she forcefully pushed my hand off. "Wait, you can't leave the city premises without permission."

"I already asked Tsunade-sama. Quit bugging me."

"I'm supposed to watch you. I can't quit bugging you. And quit lying, I know Tsunade wouldn't give you permission to leave."

"Ugh, go do something else. You're troublesome."

"That's my line, Ino."

She just walked off with her ikebana display. I ran after her into the forest trail.

"Look, I don't know what's going on or these people after you. All I know is that I have to protect you. So if you would just cooperate…."

"You, asking me to cooperate?" she scoffed, laughing in my face and kept walking.

"I can't believe this," I muttered under my breath. I had no other choice. I caught up to her. Why does she keep mocking me? Is it her time of the month of something? My mom always mentioned that… but what is it?

_Kage Mane no Jutsu!_

I captured Ino before she could elude my shadow. It was broad daylight after all.

"Hey! You bastard, let me go!" she squealed with bared teeth.

I just smirked. I wouldn't be caught dead doing this, but I did. I started to dance. I shook my hips and moved my legs. Ino did likewise. I was watching her. It was hilarious. I was nice enough to know not to move my arms around for she would have dropped her ikebana display and that would be the end of the days I would be seeing straight if I "accidentally-on-purpose" broke her display.

"Quit making me dance, you jerk!" Ino was turning red.

I squatted to the floor and motioned Ino to put her ikebana display on the ground. I walked a few steps to the left to make Ino face a tree then I hugged the mid-air. She then began to hug the tree. I couldn't help but laugh. She looked so ridiculously funny.

"Mmmff! Stop!" she managed to breathe out.

"Not till you say, 'I'll do what you say, Nara Shikamaru.'"

Ino smirked. "I'm not that stupid," she said confidently. I wondered what she was going to do. She knows me too well. After all, I am on a team with her. I can't hold my shadow forever without consuming most of my chakra. I let her go.

"Humph," she said, brushing off the dirt off her shirt with the ikebana display in one hand. She picked up her display and continued to walk on.

"Ino, I'm not going to argue. Why is this contest so important? There are always contests every year. Must you cause more trouble?"

"Yes, but only for you," she said smiling. She scooped up her display and a twig off the ground and pointed it at me.

"Oh yeah, like a stupid stick is going to knock me out," I said, with my hands on my sides. I had a feeling she was going to use her technique but seeing that she's always extra careful with her flower displays, I'm not too sure.

_Shintenshin no Jutsu!_

Oh crap. How could I have fallen for that? I've known her since we were young and I fall for the oldest trick in the book. The last thing I remember when I finally regained my own mind was that my legs were tied together and my holster was no longer attached to my thigh. Instead, it was thrown five feet away. I hopped to it and there were no kunai knives in it at all.

"Ugh you stupid….!" I screamed out, hopping towards her. I fell flat on my face. "You suck!" I yelled after her. She kept walking and I kept hopping. I must have fallen down at least three times. The dirt tasted so nasty. She smiled and walked back to me.

"What's the matter? Having trouble talking?"

"Um, no you tied me up. Now hand me a kunai!" I coughed, spitting to keep the dirt out of my mouth.

"Nope," she said, and kept walking.

I bent down and tried to squiggle out of the ropes. I finally managed to get them loose but I lost time that way, about five minutes. I had to run after her. I saw what she was doing. By doing various little tricks, she would slowly lure me closer to whatever city she was going to and by that time it would be too late to get back. Then I'd get in trouble. I smirked.

"So that's the little game she's playing," I thought. I ran after her and decided to play along with her little scheme. But for some reason, I couldn't find her.

I would just simply scream out her name. But at this point, I realized we were no longer within Konoha reach for back-up to appear for us instantly. We were in the middle of the forest once again, and I could not find Ino. I have to keep her safe and she's just playing around. Why does she not taking anything I say seriously?

"Boo…" someone said behind me.

"Gah!" I screamed, nearly jumping a foot off the ground, startled. It was Ino.

I grabbed her and used my shadow technique immediately.

"Quit playing games! Ino, I swear you act like a kid. I don't care if I run out of chakra but I'm dragging you back to Konoha with my shadow." I continued to walk.

"You know I'd just run back when the time comes when you run out of chakra."

She kind of got me there. I had thought of a million strategies but for some reason I couldn't execute them. I guess Ino has spent enough time with me during training to know my pattern of strategies, even if I had come up with two-hundred of them.

"Okay Ino, where is it that you want to go to SO badly?" I finally gave up. Ino was not a hard opponent but I didn't feel like wasting energy just to make her sit down and behave. Wow, I now have the role of baby sitter. Since when was Ino been this childish?

"It's just a small town. Actually I'm not going to a contest, I'm delivering the display."

I was about ready to shout at her.

"What? After all that trouble for a stupid delivery? You could have mailed this! And plus you know it's still not safe! I have to protect you, you know,"

"I didn't hire you to be my bodyguard. I don't know why but you're irritating me."

"You were knocked out, okay? And no, it's not like I happily volunteered for this job, okay? I was asked. It's my duty to protect you. And it still is. During that time I had to carry you with me and figure out these guys. They're no ordinary stupid spies. Okay, one of them is stupid but the other has a bloodline limit and I don't know how to evade it just yet. And either do you. And if I'm irritating you, well, you have no choice. You irritate me too."

"What?"

"Well it's true. All you do is boss people around and take charge. Not to mention chasing lost causes…"

"Excuse me? Don't refer to Sasuke-kun that way!" she walked off. "You're such a…"

"A what, huh?"

I give up. Why are we fighting over trivial matters? This is stupid.

"Never mind. I'm leaving. You're annoying, lazy and a big fat whiner. You were always annoying in the first place. You're a great strategist. I wish I could think the way you could. Maybe I wouldn't get myself into these situations. But I can't get along with you without getting into some useless bickering."

I stared into her eyes. I stepped up to her, inches away from her face and looked her straight into the eye. "What is it, Ino-san, that you want to do so badly?"

"Come with me," she whispered.

"You make it sound like we're eloping."

She hit me on the head. "Not that you moron. Not in a million years. Eww. Get your mind out of the gutter. There's just somewhere I want to go, okay?"

"Well we don't have the authorization or precautions to really go anywhere. I don't see the point of going any further."

"Stop being a pessimist. Let's just go," she said, dragging me by the hand.

**End Chapter 3. **


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